Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,201,085 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 84,786 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Annaly Capital Management were worth $22,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 15.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 69,879 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,400,000 after acquiring an additional 9,141 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Annaly Capital Management by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 303,891 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,099,000 after purchasing an additional 45,843 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 537,125 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,780,000 after purchasing an additional 48,555 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 655.7% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 99,119 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,989,000 after buying an additional 86,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 0.5% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 162,092 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,253,000 after buying an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. 51.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Price Performance

NYSE:NLY opened at $18.83 on Thursday. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.65 and a 12-month high of $22.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.31.

Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Annaly Capital Management had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 14.95%. Research analysts anticipate that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Annaly Capital Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Annaly Capital Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Annaly Capital Management’s payout ratio is 176.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NLY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $21.00 to $20.15 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Barclays started coverage on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Annaly Capital Management from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.29.

Annaly Capital Management Profile

Annaly Capital Management, Inc, a diversified capital manager, engages in mortgage finance. The company invests in agency mortgage-backed securities collateralized by residential mortgages; non-agency residential whole loans and securitized products within the residential and commercial markets; mortgage servicing rights; agency commercial mortgage-backed securities; to-be-announced forward contracts; residential mortgage loans; and agency or private label credit risk transfer securities.